In 2263, he was awarded the Z-Magnees Prize from the Terran Empire for his work in precision frontal lobotomy. As he had no interest in a military career and James had no interest in science unless he could manipulate it to make his life easier, neither brother had to worry about the other getting in the way of his career and having to be eliminated.

Due to the numerous grants and prestigious appointments which he had received, Kirk was a wealthy man. He had used his money to buy a fleet of shuttlecraft. Several of these shuttles had no serial number, which enabled Sam to transport abducted political enemies to his experimental labs unnoticed. In 2264, his younger brother borrowed one of these shuttles to travel to the Tantalus colony, where he posed as a Bureau of Mental Hygiene official named Dr. James. Sam did not inquire as to the purpose to which James intended to put the shuttle. (TOS - Mirror Universeshort story: "The Greater Good")